Washington is preparing for major changes in its strategy in Syria. Two U.S. officials told Reuters that the Pentagon plans to reduce the number of troops stationed in the Arab Republic in the coming months. One of the agency's sources clarified that it could be a question of reducing the contingent to about a thousand people, that is, almost twice. On April 16, it became known about the withdrawal of American troops from the largest Koniko and Omar fields in rural areas of Deir ez-Zor.
At the same time, not everyone in Washington is convinced of the expediency of such a step. One of the agency's sources said that doubts remain about such a large-scale reduction in the contingent, especially against the background of the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran on the nuclear deal.
Syria is no longer a strategic priority for the United States. Earlier, Washington assessed the situation in the republic through the prism of key threats — terrorism, Iran's activity, risks to Israel's security, as well as opposition to Russian influence. However, now all these factors have lost their relevance, and, as a result, the US interest in the Syrian direction has significantly decreased," Vladimir Akhmedov, a researcher at the Center for the Study of General Problems of the Modern East at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
According to the Ynet portal, Washington regularly informs the Israeli military about what is happening. The authorities of this country are seriously concerned: the consequences of a possible withdrawal of American troops are being carefully analyzed. The Jewish state fears that even a partial reduction in the US contingent could dramatically change the balance of power in the region.
The main concern is the threat of strengthening Turkey, which has been openly seeking to expand its influence in the region since the change of power in Damascus. At the moment, American troops are deployed in key areas in eastern and northern Syria. The Israeli military fears that their withdrawal will provoke Ankara to seize new strategic facilities.
The meeting of Israeli and Turkish representatives in Azerbaijan on April 10 was devoted to technical issues, including the creation of a conflict prevention mechanism in Syria. According to one of Ynet's diplomatic sources, Israel has made it clear that any changes in the presence of foreign troops in Syria — especially the possible deployment of Turkish bases in the Palmyra area — will be perceived as crossing a red line and violating trust.
